Oak Park/River Forest Refugee Shabbat
Friday, March 12 @ 6:30 pm, speaker @ 7:30

Grassroots Campaigns. Please note that we are using West Suburban’s Zoom link this week.

The entire OPRF Jewish community is coming together for a joint service and speaker in honor of HIAS Refugee Shabbat. (Hear an address by HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield here.) Oak Park Temple, West Suburban Temple, and the Secular Jewish Community and School are partnering to show our solidarity for this essential Jewish value.

The service at 6:30 will feature two speakers from our own Jewish community with personal stories of refugee resettlement. Valeriy Shafiro is a member of the SJCS. After his family had been refused the chance to leave for generations, he moved to New York in 1991 from the former Soviet Union; he moved to Oak Park in 2005. Marisol Guzman is a 12-year member of Temple Har Zion. She came as a teenager with her mother and sister, seeking asylum from Guatamala. With twists and turns, her powerful story tells us how hard it can be to leave your home country to come to the safety of the United States.

After a short break, we will convene at 7:30 for our guest speaker. Rebecca Kirzner is HIAS' Senior Director of Grassroots Campaigns. Rebecca joined the HIAS team in 2015 and has worked as an organizer in the Jewish community for more than a decade.

Also, you can take action for refugees right now! The Chicago Jewish Coalition for Refugees is working with HIAS to send online notes of encouragement to our members of Congress, urging them to support refugees. Click here to send yours today! (Select Chicago Jewish Coalition for Refugees and your Congressional district.)